In modern passenger transport means such as aircraft, passenger seats have additional comfort functions besides their primary function as a seat or a sleeper.
There are passenger seats having capabilities for massage, installed entertainment and communication electronics (IFE in flight entertainment). Adjustment functions may be performed electronically, allowing backrest, seating surface, headrest, leg support, and other adjustments to be adjusted via actuators which are integral components of the seat.
For performing these functions, the seats need an energy supply and, in particular, in seats with an installed IFE function, additional connections to communication and data lines. In aircraft, in particular, the high number of such connections restricts the flexibility of cabin design.
There is a longstanding and unresolved need to provide an autonomous passenger seat, which does not need external power or communication connections, and which may be positioned without any constraints in a seating arrangement, such as an aircraft cabin.